Goodreads

You’re in Charge – Now What?

The fundamental idea is: Get set to learn, set proper expectations, lead by example, set the appropriate direction, read the culture, build trust, listen well, and communicate effectively. These ideas are transformed to become the 8 steps for building your foundation towards great performance as a new manager:
1. Prepare Yourself During the Countdown
2. Align Expectations
3. Shape Your Management Team
4. Craft Your Strategic Agenda
5. Start Transforming Culture
6. Manage Your Board/Boss
7. Communicate
8. Avoid Common Pitfalls

As I have stated on many occasions, I am all about tools. Here is a book that puts practical thinking into the hands of the new leader/manager. This is good common sense material. The book gets into much more detail than summarized in the eight points above. Be sure to pick up a copy. And, if you’re skeptical (like many today), grab a used/like-new copy for $8 — a cheap expense for the ROI provided.

Thanks for the comment on my blog! Guess our common business background helps us think similarly.

I am with you- Point e- about owning up to the fact that you may not know everything is so simple, yet every time we move a little higher in the hierarchy we successfully manage to pull the wool firmly over our eyes and not recognise this phenomenon.

Good 8-step plan. New leaders, I believe, should first learn how to be followers. Specifically, they should learn to follow five key things:

1. Follow your self – If you can’t follow yourself, no one will ever follow you. Therefore, learn to lead yourself first.

2. Follow your your ear – Learn to act on what you hear your followers or sub-ordinates whisper. If you can act on the whispers, you won’t have to react to the screams later on.

3. Follow your nose -Strive to perfect your ability to smell what is coming. The better your leadership smell buds, the more accurate you will be in anticipating inevitable happenings.

4. Follow your eyes – They say “Look before you leap” but I say, “Look before you think and then think before you leap.” As a leader, you must be able to first analyse a situation, synthesise it and then pounce on it.

5. Follow your gut – Intution is a leader’s best friend. You can’t teach anyone how to listen to the gut. It’s something that is cultivated internally. THE GUT SIGNAL is like red lights flashing within you. Leaders should be able to sense things so that they are not caught unawares.